by Morinville Online Staff
Alberta RCMP are sharing tips and resources throughout March to support the Alberta Community Crime Prevention Association’s (ACCPA) Fraud Prevention Month campaign.
The campaign includes a weekly theme to educate Albertans on the many ways that fraudulent activity negatively impacts their communities.
“Scammers will try every trick in the book to convince a target that their request is legitimate,” said Cpl. Sean Milne, Alberta RCMP Provincial Economic Crime Team in a media release on Wednesday. “If you feel like something is off about an interaction, you’ve likely picked up on a red flag. Remember that if it’s too good to be true, it usually is.”
For the first week of March, ACCPA and other supporting agencies, including the RCMP, are focusing on online scams and fraud. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Romance scams;
- Phishing emails;
- Jobs scams;
- Buy and sell fraud;
- Lottery and/or prize scams;
- Tech repair scams; and
- Impersonation scams.
RCMP recommends the following to better protect yourself from online scams and fraud.
- Use strong passwords for your online accounts;
- Avoid sharing personal information online; and
- Refrain from sharing your banking information.
You can visit the Government of Canada’s website to learn about common scam-types. If you have been the victim of fraud, report it to your local law enforcement and to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online at www.antifraudcentre.ca, or by calling: 1-888-495-8501. Be sure to contact your bank and credit card company if you believe your personal or financial information has been compromised.
